 Take Your Marks...
The UC Santa Barbara swim teams will compete in the 2008 Husky Invitational hosted by Washington this Thursday through Sunday in Federal Way, Wash. Twelve women's teams and 10 men's teams will race in a total of 36 events during the three-day event.

 Backstroking
Two weeks ago UCSB hosted Big West Conference foe Cal Poly in a dual meet at Campus Pool. The Gaucho women posted a 155-101 victory over the Mustangs while the men picked up a 155-97 win. With the victories, the men's team improves to 3-0 in dual meets this season and the women are now 4-1 overall.

 Rank And File
After ranking 24th in the CSCAA Division I dual meet rankings released on Oct. 31, the UCSB men's swim team is now listed as "others receiving votes" in the Nov. 13 poll with 28 votes. The women are also receiving votes, 13 to be exact. Georgia is currently ranked No. 1 on the women's side while Texas holds the top spot for the men.

 Blue Ribbons All Around
During the meet with Cal Poly, the UCSB women captured 13 out of 14 first-place finishes while the men tallied 12. Four Gaucho women posted the top times in two events apiece: Erin Yamamoto (100 and 200 butterfly), Lindsay Gaudinier (500 and 200 free), Katy Freeman (200 and 100 breast) and Anne Marie May (100 and 50 free). Additionally, Yamamoto helped the UCSB 400 medley relay to a first-place finish (3:51.38) and May anchored the 200 free relay to a top finish (1:35.11). For the Gaucho men, Chris Good posted three first-place finishes (400 individual medley, 200 and 100 back) while Danny McClary (100 and 200 fly) and Jeff Sudbury (100 breast and 100 free) turned in the top times in two events apiece. Additionally, Sudbury also helped the 400 medley relay (3:25.10) and the 200 free relay (1:22.84) to first-place finishes.

 Speeding Up
The Gaucho men have shown steady improvement this fall as seven of the top times in individual events this season were posted during the meet with Cal Poly. Good posted the top 100 back (50.98) and 200 back (1:48.46) times of the season while Sudbury posted the best 100 free (46.05) and 100 breast (57.11) marks of the year. Joe Wood (200 free - 1:39.43), McClary (200 fly - 1:50.92) and Travis Jepson (200 breast - 2:06.48) also all clocked in team-highs for 2008-09 against the Mustangs. On the women's side, three of this season's top-times were posted two weeks ago: May (100 free - 51.12), Gaudinier (500 free - 5:03.20) and Yamamoto (100 fly - 56.54) all posted their best times of the season during the dual.

 The Wilson Report
Head coach Gregg Wilson was named to the 2009 World University Games U.S. coaching staff it was announced by USA Swimming. A 25-time Big West Coach of the Year, Wilson will serve as an assistant women's coach. Wilson will travel with the U.S. World University Games swim team to Belgrade, Serbia for the swim competition being held July 5-11 of 2009. Wilson, who is in his 33rd year at UCSB, has coached the Gauchos to 39 combined Big West Conference Championships and last season coached the Gaucho women to a 25th place finish at the NCAA Division I Championships.

 What's Going Down In Washington
On Thursday, UCSB will begin competition at the Husky Invite at the University of Washington. Each day of the three-day meet will feature preliminary and final heats with a total of 36 events being swam. Last season, the Gaucho men finished fifth at the meet and the women finished fourth. In 2007 several UCSB swimmers posted their NCAA qualification times during the Husky Invite.

 Ringing In The New Year
After this weekend's Husky Invite, the Gauchos will not return to action again until 2009. They will ring in the new year with a dual meet at USC on Jan. 10 at 1 p.m. Both the men's and women's teams will be in action against the Trojans.